Gaming is a lot of fun, but it is important to remember some important things so you don’t lose access to your account or, worse yet, your money. Whether you’re playing for the fun of it or in an attempt to win some money, here are some of the ways you can stay safe while playing online. While these tips apply to general online video gaming, they can be especially true when it comes to online gambling.
Although many of the best crypto casinos in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere will have safeguards to protect your money, and the fact that you can enjoy instant withdrawals can also help, using strong passwords, using two factor authentication and remembering that if someone makes you an offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is will stand you in good stead.
Password Security
One of the most important ways you can protect yourself while playing games online is to have good password security. You will be doing yourself a service if, for instance, you use a different login for different accounts. When you consider that, sadly, passwords do get stolen or leaked, you’ll then know that hackers won’t be able to guess the rest of your passwords if one of them is compromised. When you think that as many as 16 billion logins were compromised in the summer of 2025, that shows just how crucial that is.
Keep in mind, too, that there’s a good chance your gaming account will have your payment and personal details linked to it, so that’s another reason why practicing password hygiene is absolutely essential. Your password should, ideally, be 12 to 15 characters long, a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols, and shouldn’t be anything like your name, date of birth, or anything that can be easily linked to you, like your pet’s name. And, if you can, remember to change your passwords every now and then to keep things fresh.
Two-factor Authentication
When it comes to security, one way to really boost your account’s safety is by using two-factor authentication, or 2FA. This combines something you know—your password—with something you have, usually your mobile phone. By downloading the right authenticator app for your platform and connecting it to your account, you’re making it much harder for hackers to access your information.
After all, they might have your password, but they won’t have your phone. A survey from Microsoft found that more than 99.9 per cent of all compromised accounts did not have 2FA enabled, indicating that 2FA does offer a good level of protection. Most gaming platforms, including Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox, and Nintendo, all offer authentication services, so you can rest assured that, if you activate them, your data should stay safe. One piece of advice to note here is that you’ll often receive a backup code. These are really useful if your phone is lost or stolen, or if you lose access to the authenticator app when upgrading your mobile. You should take the code and keep it somewhere that isn’t your phone to be on the safe side.
Be Wary Of Scammers
If you are playing a game with a strong, vibrant, social element, you might end up being approached by scammers and then realize all too late that you are being ripped off. Scammers like to target people with offers of exclusive items, or get you to click on unofficial links, or ask you to trade in-game items on unofficial sites, or even offer mods or unofficial content. If you see this, be very careful.
A big giveaway is that they will ask for something like your login details, codes, or account access. Once they’ve done that, they can access your payment details or even install malware on the device you are using. There are two crucial things to remember here. Firstly, if something seems too good to be true, then it is. Secondly, if someone says they’ll give you something in exchange for your login details, passcodes, or account access, it is a scam. You should ignore, block, and report them.
Keep Safe On WiFi
One thing that people don’t often think about, but absolutely should, is how secure their internet connection is. To put it simply, you need to ensure that no one can access your account and that your network is as private as possible. If your connection isn’t secure, hackers can, potentially, intercept your login details, install malware on your device, spy on what you’re doing online, and access your device or account. Avoid gaming on public WiFi networks and, if you are playing at home, make sure your home internet connection has WPA2 or WPA3 encryption, and don’t give out your password casually. Instead, you could create a guest WiFi network, which would allow people to play securely without risking everything yourself. It might well be worth using a VPN, too, for extra security.
